Round up for Y

Y

Yellow Day Lily from Mythreyee



Medium:Photography

Mythreyee's contribution for this round is the Yellow Day Lily. The leaves of the Yellow Day Lily Flowering Bulb grow vigorously to over two feet long, arching like grass. Blooms of the Yellow Daylily Flowering Bulb begin from mid-May and continue forward. The Yellow Day Lily Flowering Bulb measure six inches across with petals that reflex backwards gracefully.

Yucca from Sree



Medium: Oil on canvas

Another Lily family member is the Yucca. The spineless yucca originates in Guatemala and southeast Mexico. Its a popular indoor plant. Roots of related species are used for making soaps, shampoos etc. Some parts are also used in food.

Ylang-Ylang from Priya



Medium: Watercolor on paper

Ylang Ylang is well known for its fragrance which has the flavors of pineapple, custard and jasmine. It is enough for a single yellow flower to bloom and fill your yard with its fragrance. The essential oil of Ylang Ylang is used in aromatheraphy where it is considered to have calming effects. Believed to be a native of South East Asia, it grows widely in the Pacific Islands. The plant thrives in moist, warm and humid temperatures. Tagalog is a Philippine language where the word Ylang Ylang means "flower of flowers". (Source: Britannica)

Round-up for W

W

W seems to be a very easy letter in the flower kingdom. There is a lot of diverse florals in this round.

White Silene from Manisha



Medium:Photography

Manisha found these teeny white campions on a cold late summer morning in Tiny Town, Colorado, which is at about 8500 ft in altitude. These flowers are originally a native of Europe. It can be an invasive weed, depending on where it is found.

White campion or silene latifolia has male and female plants. The picture featured above is a female plant with female flowers.

White campion contains saponins which are toxic but since they are poorly absorbed by our body, they don't cause much harm. When the root is simmered in hot water, it can be used as a soap substitute for washing clothes.

The plant grows up to 3ft in height and the flowers are between 1/2 inch to 1 inch in diameter. It flowers between June and September.

The plant to the left in the picture below is a male plant with flowers.





Wisteria from Shilpa:



Medium:Photography

Wisteria is a climbing vine with purple-blue flowers that hangs down like a bunch of grapes. It flowers in the beginning of spring. This plant is not very popular as it is invasive and suffocates other native plants, which in turn affects wildlife who depend on these native plants for food.

Shilpa found these flowers at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.

Wiegla from Jugalbandi



Medium:Photography



Wood Sorrel and Woody Nightshade from Mamatha:



Medium:Photography

Common Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) is a plant from the Oxalis family. It flowers for a few months in spring, with small white flowers with pink streaks. The leaflets are made up by three heart-shaped leaves, folded through the middle. It is sometimes referred to as a shamrock (due to its three-leaf clover-like motif) and given as as gift on St. Patrick's Day. Mamatha clicked this picture at Smoky's.

(source: http://www.wikipedia.org)



Medium:Photography

Woody Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) is a member of the Nightshade family (Solanaceae) - the family that supplies us with vegetables like potato, tomato, green and red peppers, eggplant. The leaves are always arranged to face the light and the flower clusters invariably face a different direction from the leaves. The plant bears tiny egg-shaped green fruits that finally mature into shiny red berries.

Mamatha found this flower along a trail by the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh.

(source: http://ww.the-tree.org.uk/EnchantedForest/WoodlandFlowers/woodynightshade.htm)

Wishbone from Sree



Medium: Oil on Canvasboard

A common annual that loves shade along with hot and humid weather. It resembles an open snap dragon. Purple, rose, light blue and white and most common colors.

Scientific Name:Torenia fournieri

Wildrose from Mythreyee



Medium:Photography

Each year, in the early part of June, these small white wild roses begin to bloom, bringing a contrast to the green background. These roses are a climbing variety, and they utilize other trees and shrubs for their support. A few of these roses are in single bushes, but most are seen cascading down from the branches of other vegetation.

These are wild growing, massively fragrant multifloras that bloom buckets of five petaled white flowers in late spring and early summer.


Waterlily from Priya



Medium: Watercolor on paper

Water Lily also known as Nymphaea belongs to a family that has around 50 species. Some of these are day blooming one's and some are night bloomers. Colors include white, pink, purple and blue. There is often a confusion between Water Lily and Lotus - the former belongs to the Nymphaea family, while the latter belongs to the Nelumbo family. The name Nelumbo is from Sinhala.

Round up for O

O

It’s round-up time! Here are the entries for O.

Oleander from Sree

Medium: Oil on canvas
Sree sends us Oleander. Oleander is an evergreen shrub, it grows into a small tree and blossoms (clusters or bunches at the end of each branch or shoot) can be various shades of pink, white, cream etc. They have a mild fragrance. The flower is from the genus Nerium.

Orchids from Pooja

Medium: Photography
Pooja, a new participant at Flower Fest, has two pictures of Orchids to share with us. Here’s what she has to say about the flowers, “I think this particular variety is referred to as dendrodium orchids or popularly known as "Singapore" orchids. They are often used in Zen arrangements, but more commonly are used as bouquets for graduation days in United States (maybe at other places too, I have most commonly seen them at graduation ceremonies in US). Many times each stem-tip is individually packaged in a small test-tube shaped container which contains the necessary water and nutrients for the flower. Most likely this is done because the flower and the plant itself is very sensitive to the amount of water given to it.”

Oxalis from Priya

Medium: Watercolor on paper
Priya's entry this time is Oxalis. Oxalis belongs to the Wood Sorrel family. These white, pink or yellow flowers have clover shaped leaves. The flowers are around 2 cms and bloom from June to September. It grows abundantly in the California Redwood Forests. It is a native of South America. These are showy plants and will look good as potted plants.

Oxalis Stricta from Shilpa

Medium: Photography
Shilpa also has Oxalis. Oxalis stricta have tiny yellow flowers that occur in spring and are described as an invasive yard weed. The leaves of the plant are divided into three heart shaped leaflets which close at night and reopen in the morning. The leaves are edible and taste sour as they contain oxalic acid. It is fine when eaten in small quantities but can be harmful when ingested in large quantities. It has a number of common names of which the popular names are Yellow Wood Sorrel and Sour Grass.

Oxeye Daisy from Mythreyee

Medium: Photography
Mythreyee's entry is from the Daisy family.The Oxeye Daisy is a typical meadow flower, growing in a variety of plant communities such as dry fields, meadows, but also under scrubs, open-canopy forests and waste places. It thrives in a wide range of conditions and prefers heavy and damp soils. It was introduced in parts of North America, Australia and New Zealand, where it is now a common weed displacing native plant species in some areas. It is difficult to control or eradicate, since a new plant can regenerate from rhizome fragments.


I hope you have enjoyed this round-up. If you have entries you would like to send in for O, please do so and we will update the post. We will be moving on to the next letter P soon and hope to see many more contributors. Please refer to the Guidelines mentioned here if you are interested in participating.

Tags:Flower Fest , Flower Fest Round Up

Round up for M

Magnolia

M

Medium: Watercolor on paper
Participant: Priya
Magnolia is named after Magnol, a French botanist. It is a resident of America, South East Asia, China, Australia, South America and West Indies. There are many hybrid varieties and this painting is of Saucer Magnolia. During Spring it is a common sight to see a magnolia tree in full bloom with these pinkish white flowers. When you spot a magnolia tree with buds that are about to open, you can be sure that Spring is very near. The flowers bloom on bare branches even before the leaves have sprouted.

Marsh Marigold

Medium : Photography
Participant: Mythreyee
Marsh Marigold is wildflower is common in swampy areas and along stream banks. They emerge from shallow water or grow on small mounds holding the plant just above the water. During their dormant period the soil must not be allowed to dry at all. Marsh Marigolds are a welcome sight in early spring but seem to disappear as fast as they emerged. They transplant well but going into the spring muck to dig them up can not be described as easy. Adding Marsh Marigolds to a water garden is well worth the effort.

May Flower

Medium: Digital Photography
Participant: Bachodi
The beautiful May flower, better known in the Indian subcontinent as the gul mohar.

Melampodium

Medium : Oil on Canvas board
Participant: Sree
Melampodium looks very similar to the common sunflower and belongs to the species - Melampodium paludosum. It does not require any special care except for abundant sunlight. Small button like flowers come in yellow and sometimes white and the plants are bushy rarely growing higher than a meter. It is also called blackfoot. The flowers dry up to release small seeds which fall off and grow into new plants prolifically.

Mimosa Pudica

Medium: Digital Photography
Participant: Prashanth M
Mimosa pudica, a weed and a touch-me-not.

Morina longifolia

Medium: Digital Photography
Participant:Anita
Morina longifolia is an Himalayan wildflower with thistle like foliage, pink and white flowers, in whorls, borne on two-three feet tall spikes. Flowers (in the Valley of Flowers) between June and September.

Morning Glory

Medium: Digital Photography
Participant: Shilpa
Morning Glory is a fast growing trailing plant with heart shaped leaves and trumpet shaped flowers. They are native to tropical America and belong to the genus Ipomoea. They are popular in gardens and are grown to cover fences and compound walls. The twining vines can be troublesome if left unchecked, but the flowers are always a delight when in bloom.

You can find a digital art entry of this flower on Flower Fest under their genus name Ipomoea.

Mountain Harebell

Medium: Digital Photography
Participant: Manisha
Mountain harebells, from the genus Campanula are typically found in the montane and subalpine zones. Mountain harebells have bell-shaped blue-violet flowers that are about an inch in length. These are also known as bluebells of Scotland.

Muscari Armeniacum

Medium: Digital Photography
Participant: Shilpa
Muscari Armeniacum is one of the early spring flowers from the Hyacinthcea family. The green spikes shoot up from the ground and produce clusters of bright blue flowers which look like bells. The pretty flowers have a lovely fragrance and attract bees.

That's half the alphabet done! Woo hoo!

We're moving on to N, so is you have a late entry for M, send it to flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com as soon as possible!

A request to all participants, please include a short description of your flower when you submit your entry. Tell us where you found the flower, what caught your eye about this flower or an interesting incident relating to the flower you are submitting.

Tags:Flower Fest , Flower Fest Round Up , Round Up M

Round up for L

L

Folks at Flower Fest have come up with some gorgeous blooms to celebrate the fever of love which is still in the air.

Lotus from Prashanth:


(Medium: Photography)

Prashanth debuts his participation in the Flower Fest with a glorious picture of the Lotus on Pookoot Lake. Please welcome Prashanth! And we hope to have more beauties from him for subsequent letters!

Lenten Rose from Shilpa:


(Medium: Photography)

Shilpa was surprised to see this beautiful blook in the middle of winter, with such bright green leaves when everything around it was bare and brown! It was the Lenten Rose. But is it a rose? Find out on Shilpa's new blog, An Eye on Nature.

Lily from Mythreyee:


(Medium: Photography)

Lily belongs to the genus Lilium. There are about 100 species in the lily family, Liliaceae. They are important as showy and large flowered garden plants, and in literature. Lilies are native to the northern temperate regions. Their range in the Old World extends across much of Europe, the north Mediterranean, across most of Asia to Japan, south to the Nilgiri mountains in India, and south to the Philippines. In the New World they extend from southern Canada through much of the United States. A few species formerly included within this genus have now been placed in other genera. Lilies are usually erect leafy stemmed herbs. The majority of species form naked or tunic-less scaly underground bulbs from which they overwinter. The large flowers have three petals along with three petal-like sepals, often fragrant, and come in a range of colours ranging through whites, yellows, oranges, pinks, reds, purples, bronze and even nearly black. Markings include spots, brush strokes and picotees. The plants are summer flowering. For more on the lily, visit Mythreyee's blog.

Lagerstroemia Indica from Shilpa:


(Medium: Photography)

Also from Shilpa, the Lagerstroemia Indica or the Crepe Myrtle have striking flowers in summer, brilliant foliage in fall and the stark, attractively gnarled look of the tree in winter provide year-round beauty to gardens and parks. REad more on Shilpa's new blog!

Lily of the Valley from Sree:

(Medium: Oil on canvas)

The National flower of Finland has an interesting tale. Also called 'Our Lady's tears', legend has it that the tears Mary shed at the cross turned to Lilies of the Valley. These sweet scented spring flowers are native to Asia, Europe and North America. Very occasionally they also grow in a shade of pink. Flowers are hardly bigger than a centimeter. Leaves used in the right quantity are medicinal and otherwise poisonous. These blooms belong to the species - Convallaria majalis.

Lantana Camara from Priya :

(Medium: Watercolor, size 4 by 4.5 in)

Teeny-tiny in size and colorful in appearance, Lantana Camara is a native of America and Africa. These are small clusters of red, orange, yellow, white, pink and violet blooms which attracts birds and bees. The berries of this plant are posionous. It is easy to grow, requires very little water and adapts itself to most soil conditions.

Lomatium from Manisha :


(Medium: Photography)

These bright yellow tiny flowers are Lomatium, also known as the Biscuitroot for their starchy edible roots. It belongs to the Apiaceae family or the parsley family. And while some species are eaten as food, others used to make herbal medicines, some are highly toxic.


If you would like to participate in the Flower Festival, send in your photographs, doodles, paintings or sketches to flowerfestival[at]gmail[dot]com. Our next halt will be at "M".